Of all the pages in this section of the site, this will probably be one of the most important, yet factually, one of the shortest.
In 1785 Burns was a guest at a Haggis Club in Kilmarnock where five lawyers met for dinner. When asked to say grace he instead chose to address the haggis.
The following year the poem was completed and the 'Address To A Haggis' became the first Burns poem to be published in a newspaper when it appeared in the Caledonian Mercury on December 20th. 1786.
On the fifth anniversary of Robert Burns' death, 21st. July 1801, nine Ayrshire gentlemen sat down in Alloway to what is now regarded as the first ever Burns Supper.
The company agreed to meet in January of the following year to commemorate the poets birth and so evolved the custom of Burn Supper being held annually on January 25th..
The photographs below of P.M. Bro. Thomas Robertson 'Addressing the Haggis' were taken at our annual installation in January 2008. If you've never seen it done I would recommend it, it can be very dramatic, its more of a performance than a recital.
A burns Supper can take many forms, from the serious to the frivolous. The only essentials are the recitation or reading of "The Address" and of course a haggis. Above all enjoy yourself and remember to offer a salute to the National Bard of Scotland, Robert Burns.
© 2010 Lodge St. Andrew #518
